Shengjin, Albania (AP) – An Italian navy ship arrived in Albania on Tuesday with 49 migrants intercepted in international waters for processing their asylum applications in special Albanian centers, in the third such attempt after obstacles that were previously raised by Italian courts.
The Italian Ministry of the Interior did not specify the nationality of the migrants brought to the port of Shengjin, 66 kilometers northwest of the capital, Tirana, but Italian media said they came from Bangladesh, Egypt, Ivory Coast and Gambia.
The attempt to process in Albania follows two previous failures in October and November, when Italian judges refused to approve the detention of two small groups in the Albanian centers, built under a controversial agreement between Italy and Albania. The courts ruled that the countries of the migrants of origin were not safe enough for them to face the possibility of being sent back by the centers.
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The cases have been referred to the European Court of Justice, which previously established that asylum recisions could not undergo rapid procedure that can lead to repatriation if their home country is not considered completely safe.
The hearing of the European Court on the case is scheduled for 25 February.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government sworn to activate the two centers in Albania again after they stayed sleeping after the decisions of the Italian courts.
The position of Meloni was partly supported by a ruling at the end of December by the highest court in Italy, which said that Italian judges could not replace government policy by deciding which countries are safe for repatriation of migrants whose asylum requests are rejected.
The decision enables lower courts to set such provisions on a case -by -case basis, to impose a total policy.
The migrants must be checked in a reception center in the port of Shengjin before being taken to the Gjader accommodation center, about 22 kilometers (14 miles) to the east.
With the November 2023 agreement, a maximum of 3,000 migrants can be intercepted by the Italian coast guard in international waters every month to be sheltered in Albania and survived for possible asylum in Italy or repatriation.
Italy has agreed to welcome those migrants who receive asylum, while those whose applications are rejected are rejected directly from Albania.
The agreement to outsource the housing of asylum seekers to a non-European member of the Union has been praised by some countries that, such as Italy, experience a high level of migrant arrivals, but human rights activists have criticized the deal as a dangerous precedent.
So far this year, 3,704 migrants have arrived in Italy, more than double the number in the same period last year, when 1,305 arrived. Last year 66,317 migrants arrived in Italy, a decrease of 58% compared to the previous year. Most came from Bangladesh, followed by Syria, Tunisia and Egypt, according to the Italian Ministry of the Interior.
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Semini reported from Tirana. Colleen Barry in Milan has contributed to this report.
